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- #21
Yes, the owner told me that it has much more juice through its balanced output. I am getting setup to create a test fixture for balanced headphone outputs so in the future should be able to measure them.
I thought balanced was all the rage?Yes, the owner told me that it has much more juice through its balanced output. I am getting setup to create a test fixture for balanced headphone outputs so in the future should be able to measure them.
I thought balanced was all the rage?
Yes I am well aware, I have laughed for quite some time at "balanced" connectors for headphones.Balanced connections for driving headphones are a huge marketing fad in my opinion. It already starts with the fact that there's no standard connector, making lots of aftermarket cables necessary and potentially binding customers to your brand.
Technically, balanced connections enhance crosstalk performance and noise rejection, which aren't really important in headphone applications. However, they increase hiss, distortion and output impedance, which ARE important in headphone applications. It's especially ridiculous that balanced connections are so heavily marketed in portable gear, where people often use (BA) IEMs. Those are especially sensitive to hiss and high output impedance.
I had to do the same thing. Bought a cheap replacement cable for the HD-650 and XLR connector. Yet to connect them together though.
Switching from DAC testing to headphone testing, I measured the output impedance a very low 0.5 ohm.
View attachment 11745
This means that it should have no effect on the frequency response of the headphone even if that latter is pretty low.
Unless I say otherwise, it is unbalanced.Output Impedance on single-ended, balanced, or the same?
Unfortunately I no longer have the unit.I believe you also ran the tests with firmware < 2.0.
Would be interesting if you re-ran the tests with the newer firmware and the new volume / gain control.
Looks like it's 90 dB on low gain.SINAD numbers?
I believe you also ran the tests with firmware < 2.0.
Would be interesting if you re-ran the tests with the newer firmware and the new volume / gain control.
Mhm, the firmware makes a difference subjectively, that said I would be very interested to see what you can measure without cheap cables ect...